THE UNIONIST: Work rights, billboards, ACC, tolls, rural employers

In The Unionist this week: new work rights passed this week, billboards come out, an ACC legend speaks, National's tolls and rural employers need to lift their game.

Work Rights Update: meal and infant feeding rights becomes law

Parliament this week passed legislation guaranteeing minimum tea and lunch breaks, and provisions for women to breastfeed at work.

“The law fills a big gap in our minimum employment provisions.  It will contribute to standards of decency at work, mother and baby health, and will improve workplace health and safety,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said. 

“Unions regularly hear of workers being denied proper breaks and of work requirements interrupting breastfeeding so this new law is absolutely essential.” 

The New Zealand Nurses Organisation (NZNO) also welcomed the new law.  NZNO's Cee Payne said: “Providing for meal breaks in law is essential to ensure healthy workers and good patient care. Some of our most vulnerable members work in the private sector and receive only the legal minimum in their terms and conditions of employment. These workers are not covered by collective agreements and as such need the security of a law that allows them to take regular meal breaks.”

The CTU spoke out against an amendment to the new law, promoted by New Zealand First, which denies transport workers the two paid tea breaks during an 8 hour shift.  Helen Kelly said New Zealand First's amendment was completely without foundation and outrageous in an industry where safety is a real issue.

“Bus and truck drivers will be very concerned that they are being treated as second class workers by a party that claims to stick up for working people.  The CTU is now calling on the Minister of Transport to amend the regulations covering drivers to include these two breaks," Helen Kelly said. 

Multimedia:  Click here to see Helen Kelly discuss the issue on TVNZ's Breakfast programme this morning, (or click here to download an audio only podcast). 

Billboards won't lift wages

The National Party’s billboards would be more honest if they spelt out how they were going to lift wages, the Council of Trade Unions said on Monday, following the release of National's first billboard, entitled "wave goodbye to higher taxes, not your loved ones."

“National has released an industrial relations policy which cuts worker and union rights, is completely silent on lifting wages, and coupled with other policies will leave workers much worse off,” CTU president Helen Kelly said.

“The wage gap with Australia grew by 50.4% in the 1990s and by 1.6% from 2000 to 2007, and so it is a bit rich that National is now suggesting they are the ones to fix this problem.”

“Given it is now clear that tax cuts will be paid for by high road tolls, possible cuts to KiwiSaver, cuts in public services and privatisation of state assets, this makes the lack of a wages policy even more concerning.  Workers will end up worse off, with more user-pays, and if work rights are reduced and wages don’t increase we will simply see a repeat of the 1990s”. 

A number of groups have already started parodies of the billboard (including this one on ACC).  Click here for some more.

Click here for more from the Council of Trade Unions' election campaign Fairness at Work - Worth Voting For.

ACC legend reminds of value of the scheme 

“Hearing ACC legend Sir Owen Woodhouse speak at the ACC Futures Conference in Wellington was a very powerful reminder about why we need to value and keep our accident compensation scheme,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said this week. 
 
“He reminded us that the scheme was conceptualised as a social security scheme, not an insurance scheme, and that this idea needed to be revitalised rather than forgotten.” 

“He spoke of the grim circumstances injured workers faced in getting compensation before the scheme was introduced and how the incentives that drive the scheme, including rehabilitation, play a big part in New Zealand having an lower average loss of work days through accidents, than in comparable countries.”

“The overall message from the day was that the ACC scheme is world class: efficient, effective and broad in its coverage and benefits.    

"While both the National and Act spokespeople at the conference continued to advocate privatisation this was against all the research presented, and they were unable to offer any convincing reasons about the benefits of private insurance, or reassurances about the risks to this very good scheme.”

Using private money on our roads a short cut to trouble

"In the days following MP Maurice Williamson's musings about $50 a week road tolls, news coverage understandably tracked National's subsequent reversals", the Public Service Association's Brenda Pilott said this week in a column published in the New Zealand Herald.

"But in following the twists and U-turns of that story a larger question was overlooked - why do we think privately financed toll roads are the solution to our transport problems?

Auckland's traffic is gridlocked because we have continued to build more roads while failing to build a user-friendly public transport system.  

During the 1990s, as New Zealand sold assets like our trains and ferries, we spent next to nothing on Auckland's public transport network. In 1999, just $15 million was spent on helping Aucklanders get around by bus, train or ferry.

So we entered the 21st century with Aucklanders stuck in nose-to-tail traffic with no viable public transport alternative.

Mr Williamson's solution is to turn to the private sector to finance more roads and get the public to pay for them through a $50 a week toll. Bill English rushed in and said National's tolls would be more like $2 a trip.

So National is fudging on how large its road tolls would be. But it's very clear on one thing. It still won't invest in public transport despite the fact that this is the main reason why Auckland is stuck in traffic."

Click here for the full column.

Rural employers need to lift their game

“Workforce shortage issues will continue in the rural sector unless farmers and growers start to develop long term strategies for growing their own workforces,” Council of Trade Unions president Helen Kelly said this week.

“The admission by Southland dairy farmers that they are paying New Zealanders $35,000 per year for fifty to sixty hour weeks is shameful, particularly at a time when they are pressuring Government to relax immigration requirements.”  Wine growers were this week also complaining about the cost of labour whilst harvesting record crops.

“The dairy farmers are openly admitting that New Zealand workers are available but that they turn them away because they are expecting $50,000 per year – hardly great riches for the long hours and hard work expected of them,” Helen Kelly said. 

“New Zealanders are paying huge prices for dairy products and farmers are making more money than ever.   It is an irony that farmers are happy to accept market demand as an excuse for higher and higher costs to consumers but don’t accept it when it has the same impact on labour costs.”  

Weekly Events Calendar

Suffrage Day Celebration.
Friday 19th September, from 5.30pm, at Trades Hall, 149 Great North Road, Grey Lynn.
In honour of Suffrage Day, the Working Women’s Resource Centre is hosting a celebration of all that has been achieved for working women, men, families and communities under our Labour led Government.  To acknowledge the hard work and dedication of our Labour led Government, the Green Party, our Unions, other individuals and organizations.    All welcome.
Ros Hiini, Organiser, Working Women's Resource Centre, Phone  09 3797906, email wwrc@ihug.co.nz

Unions Canterbury Election 2008 Meet the Parties Meeting
Tuesday 30th September, 7.00 pm.  Bar open from 6pm.
Top West Room, Woolston Club, 86 Hargood Street, Christchurch
karena.brown@epmu.org.nz

Unions Local. For more info on Unions Local, including contacts for other areas not listed below, click here.

Unions Tauranga
Mon Sept 1, 3pm
Seafarers Centre, Hull Rd, Mt Maunganui. 
garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz

Unions Wellington
Tuesday Sept 2, 4pm
CTU Board Room, 7th Floor Education House, 178 Willis Street, Wellington
george.collins@epmu.org.nz / patb@nzctu.org.nz

Unions Auckland
Thur Sept 4, 4pm
Trades Hall, 147 Gt Nth Rd.
garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz

Unions Otago
Monday Sept 8, 4.30 p.m
NZNO Office, 2nd Floor, Victoria Chambers, 7 Crawford Street, Dunedin
glendaa@nzno.org.nz

Unions Canterbury
Tues Sept 16, 4pm
TUC, 199 Armagh Street, Christchurch
karena.brown@epmu.org.nz 

Unions Northland
Tues Sept 23, 5pm
TUC, 7 First Ave, Whangarei
garry.parsloe@munz.org.nz

Unions Manawatu
Friday Sept 26, 3pm.
PSA House, 41-47 King St, Palmerston North
john.shennan@psa.org.nz

Other Events and Campaigns

All Unionists Welcome To Attend A Forum
Claiming our identities and responsibilities: A reflection on the experiences of Maori workers in asserting and supporting diversity in the workplace and in the union movement
This session hosted by the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Runanga will share and reflect on our experiences around the framing and promotion the indigenous values of whanaungatanga (solidarity/relationships) in the workplace and in the union movement. In articulating and developing our practice of whanaungatanga as an organising strategy we will reflect on how this embraces and supports communities of diversity in the workplace and the broader union moment. The New Zealand Council of Trade Unions Runanga will reflect on the relationship developed with Pasefika and other new migrant workers organising in the workplace.
Please contact: Helen Te Hira and Syd Keepa, Te Runanga o NZCTU Te Kauae Kaimahi. Email: helent@nzctu.org.nz or phone                09 303 9018         or                021 0554969        . See also www.nzctu.org.nz.
Venue: Level 12, Unite Building, 300 Queen S
Brought to you by Maori Models of Organizing Project

“Talking Union”
RMTU Offices, Level 1, Tramways Bldg., Wed Sept 10th 5:15 – 7:00 pm
Come along and see, for free, how this union section of Toastmasters works [and bring delegates – this is focussed at helping them be better advocates] – Demonstration meeting – all invited tvalster@rmtunion.org.nz

Migrante Aotearoa: We want you to speak out!
Forum
Venue: Langston,
Maungawhau Summit, Mt. Eden
2-6pm, Saturday Sept. 20th 2008.
The public plight of migrant workers in New Zealand is often discussed by others, rather than migrant workers themselves. On September 20th 2008, Migrante Aotearoa and Auckland Philippines Solidarity are sponsoring a forum to hear migrant workers from the Filipino and other migrant nationalities speak out about their experiences and propose their solutions to problems they face. Trade unionists, politicians and migrant advocates will be present to hear and respond to the issues raised. There will be clinics with unionists and lawyers to assist with workplace and immigration problems.
More details: http://union.org.nz/event/2008/migrante-aotearoa-speak-out 

Open Day at Parliament – Sunday 14 September 2008
You and your family are invited to the free Open Day at Parliament on
Sunday 14 September.
It’s an opportunity to experience Parliament with a self-guided, self-paced look behind the scenes. Enter the debating chamber, see the office of a member of Parliament, learn about the 150 year history of the Parliamentary Library, and let your children participate in activities and competitions. The Open Day starts at 10 am Sunday 14 September with last entry at 3.30 pm. Entry is free. Please note security screening will be in place. For more visit www.parliament.nz

CTU Meetings, training

Workplace Productivity Challenge Workshop
There is no charge to attend the Productivity Challenge which is an EREL-approved course. Financial assistance is available for travel, wage reimbursement (if not using EREL or other leave) and other associated costs. There are places available in the following workshops - please register now:
- Monday 22 September, 9 am - 4.30 pm, Auckland Central
- Tuesday 7 October, 9 am - 4.30 pm, Hamilton
- Friday 10 October, 9 am - 4.30 pm, Wellington Central
- Tuesday 28 October, 9 am - 4.30 pm, Christchurch
- Tuesday 28 October, 9 am - 4.30 pm, Mangere East
- Thursday 30 October, 9 am - 4.30 pm, Dunedin

Registration forms for these workshops and dates for others are on the CTU website. If you wish to register interest in a future workshop please tell us your name and location and details of how to contact you. We will cater to demand and arrange something to suit you if you cannot find a location that suits you in our current schedule.
Email Sandy - productivity@nzctu.org.nz Check out the WPEP website for more information: http://union.org.nz/workplaceproductivity